A Dream After Halloween
by A.M.C. Theaters
Summary: The fate of the holidays aren't in the hands of the rulers, but their children. But danger is never far behind and neither is love or understanding. This is a story about how two holidays met by mistake... please read!
1. Chapter 1

_AU: Hello everyone! Well, I hope you like this! There is tons more to come so tell me if you like it!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own The Nightmare Before Christmas._

_Read and enjoy._

**1 Screams**

Most children are raised hearing the soft, gentle voices of their family around them. My life, and those like me in the past, was raised since a young age to become accustomed to screams. The soft voices of our friends and family was not welcomed unless it was in a terrified scream.

When children are taught to beware the night for the deadly things that may happen, I was taught to wander in the darkness every day. The full moon gave chills down every human's spine at the reminder of the werewolves, when I would dream to see at least one. For humans blood is a bad omen, in my view it is expected. How else would I be able to rule over a country where everyone is the same as I, if I looked at this through a human's eyes? I couldn't, no one could.

As far back as humans, creatures, monsters, and the like can remember the Trees have existed. Until seventeen years ago, neither of the worlds knew anything about the worlds beyond the Trees. And since then the ancient families that have survived are now considered royalty in their worlds.

My family is one of them.

I come from the Skellington Family of Halloween Town. I hope it is clear that I am a skeleton, and that I am the next member to rule over the world of Halloween. My family began centuries ago with the first witch who was said to start the holiday.

This witch was old and powerful, she tried to bring the skeleton that she found in the forest back to life. She succeeded. The skeleton came to life and was able to live as any normal human would. Well the skeleton fell in love, as any being does, and his heart broke when she died. He spent all day and night pleading with the old witch to revive her. Finally she gave in, with a cost.

If the skeleton man were to have any children with his new, dead bride then every descendant will be cursed with the power to scare the world. Nothing, living or dead, could remain calm around the offspring of the skeleton. This worried the two for some time before the first child was born, surprisingly, a skeleton. Though the woman was forever a corpse, a dead body was able to create and raise a child. The child grew and my family began. So yes, I was born a skeleton, and I was born dead.

Then began Halloween, when my ancestors taught other creations of the Witch how to scare the mortals. The spirits of those past would not be able to haunt were it not for my ancestors. And so when the world drew together to create Halloween Town and a royal family was to be named, my family was chosen.

My father is the Pumpkin King, and I am the Pumpkin Queen with my mother being the Pumpkin Lady. Yes, it is off balance, but that is how the original townsfolk decided to do it. When my father dies, or steps down, I will take his place over all things involving Halloween.

I am only seventeen at the moment, but since birth my father has been engraving the holiday in my mind. Yet the year before I was born, my father got mixed up in the holiday called Christmas.

Christmas is the exact opposite, or so it would seem, of Halloween. One would think that my father, being raised into darkness, would dread the light. Yet when he found Christmas Town he fell quickly in love. Let's say that things got out of hand and that Saint Nicholas, the king of Christmas Town, was not very happy with the Skellington family. Yet after that, every single holiday from the Holiday Trees met and knew the others customs and ways of life. Yet the royal children of each holiday were able to participate in the other festivals and parties, yet they were not to change their holiday in any way to relate to another's. And last year it was allowed for teenagers of the Holidays to exchange schools.

Including the Human World.

My friends and I decided it would be nice to live around the humans we scare, even if it was only for the school day. After school we are to return to our world, and never speak of our heritage to any humans.

Well that is my history, and my situation. My name is Jane Skellington, daughter of Jack and Sally Skellington. I am next in line to the Pumpkin throne and the Princess of Halloween. My closest friends are either dead, undead, or monsters. My family consists of mostly skeletons, rag dolls, and mad scientists.

I am tall and thin, my body made of skeleton bones and nothing more. My hair is long, reaching to my hips, and is of a dark red yarn. While in the human world I must always wear a symbol of my holiday, or identity, on my person at all times. If I fail to do so I will turn back into a skeleton in front of an entire student body.

Currently I am sitting on the windowsill of my tall, thin, and dark home in Halloween Town above the Pumpkin Patch. I hold my necklace in my hand and write in this journal for anyone to read. I don't care who finds this, I just want to get my feelings out.

One thing I want the world to know, I am not so much like my father as I seem. I have grown tired of the same old thing, yes. Alas, I have grown tired of everything in my life and afterlife…Including the sound of screams.

_What do you think!? _

_Please review, I would like five reviews if you would like the next chapter! _


	2. Same Old Thing

**2 Same Old Thing**

Jane woke up to the screaming doorbell of her front door. She was willing to bet it was the Mayor, that man frustrated her to no end. She sat up in bed and stretched with a yawn. Then she looked around and saw that the Jack-o-lantern sun had just barely begun to rise over the far hills. Standing she wandered over to my closet and peered inside for what to wear. Inside it was mostly dark clothing; Jane decided on a dark purple shirt and black jeans.

Jane then untangled her dark red hair. It wasn't truly hair, just yarn…Based on the fact that her mother was a rag doll and her father was a skeleton. Her father had no hair—she isn't sure if this was true in his life as well—and her mother only had long flowing strings of yarn. It reached just past her shoulders in layers and she pulled it all into a ponytail with her bangs out.

Jane wasn't one to focus on her looks but it was for school in the Human World and she had to appear normal. Which is rather hard when you are dead. She grabbed her bag off of its claw-shaped hook and flung it over her shoulder before leaving her room. While walking down the steps of the steep stair case she slowly opened her little sister's room.

"Mary…" Jane carefully pushed the door farther as the darkness was destroyed. The skeleton girl entered the room completely and walked over to the tall windows and pulled back the curtains. A loud, childish groan came from the bed. "Mary, come on wake up. You have to get to school."

"I don't want to!" Her little sister complained. Jane then saw the dark sheet lower down to reveal two dark eye sockets glaring up at her. Without much else of an awakening, Jane smiled to her little sister and left the room.

Energetic for the day already she skipped down the rest of the stairs and landed casually. Then she stalked silently passed the living room and peeked inside her father's meeting room to see him and the Mayor. Jane tried to sneak by silently so they would not see her and stop her…but it was hopeless. Before she got past the door she heard the Mayor call her name.

"Jane, dear, why don't you come in here?" The teen groaned silently and entered the doorway. "Why don't you help your father and I decide on plans for this Halloween? It's a week until October you know. We will be quite busy!" The Mayor wore his happy face at the moment, Jane noted, and held several papers clutched in each hand. Her father sat across from the Mayor hunched over stacks of papers and scribbling endlessly.

"I'm sorry Mayor, but I can't." She leaned against the doorframe. "I have to have breakfast then head to school."

"Ah yes, you are in the Human school this year aren't you?" She nodded and crossed her arms uncaringly. "Are those humans at your school doing anything for Halloween?"

"We usually have a dance." She answered in a bland tone while she lifted her hand to cover a yawn. He was about to ask more questions but Jane saw an opportunity to escape and did so, turning to leave the Mayor. "Now I really have to go, Mayor. I am truly sorry, but school is important after all." She smiled charmingly as her father taught her to do and rushed out the door before she could be stopped.

When she got in the kitchen and saw her mother cooking a soup in the pot, she sat down. Her mother poured the mixture into a large, bat-shaped cup for Jane and she sat down at the table.

"Good morning to you too, Jane." Her mother said sarcastically in her sweet voice. Jane grinned and a loud bang echoed behind her and made her jump. Turning around, she saw her brothers. She glared and rolled her non-existent eyes as one scrambled onto her lap.

"Ugh! Not you two!" She groaned as two eyes stared up at her adoringly. Hyde was older and he leaned against the table with a triumphant grin. Hyde was nearly thirteen and he took after their father as Jane did, yet he looked more like their mother than Jane.

Chase was the baby of the family. He was two and cuddled into my shirt as he giggled happily. He was a little doll with soft blue skin sewn together without a trace of skeleton on his being. Jane was almost the spitting image of her father, a complete skeleton with only the exception that she had hair. As her younger siblings grew younger in order, each one looked more like her mother than the last. Until there was Chase, who was more doll than bone.

"Not even three and you're already teaching him to sneak up on me?" Jane asked Hyde. The mischievous boy grinned and nodded wickedly at the prank he was able to pull on his older sister.

"Why not?" He asked with a shrug.

"Jane! Jane! Me spooked ya didn't I?" Chase spoke enthusiastically and she held him close. Jane couldn't help but smile at her youngest sibling. He was too adorable with his wide, blinking eyes and sweet fragile voice. He was only two and yet he was the politest two year old in Halloween Town. He had his mother to thank for that.

"Yes you did Chasey! I was so scared!" Jane lifted him and set him down on the floor as he ran over to his mother.

"Mommy! I spooked her!" Sally gave him a proud smile and their father came into the room. He happily said good morning in his warm, deep voice which everyone echoed. After saying few words to her siblings and giving her mother a kiss on the cheek, he started straight for Jane. She finished her soup and went to the sink to try and avoid the topic she knew was coming. She turned the handle and the snake-shaped facet gushed out water as she rinsed out the cup.

"Jane, why can't you show even the slightest interest in anything the Mayor says?" He came up behind his and ran his thin fingers through her hair in a way that only a parent could.

"Because everything the Mayor says is about Halloween." She replied bitterly and walked away from his hold. Grabbing her backpack, she lifted it onto her shoulder and avoided her father's gaze. She gave her mother a hug and smacked Hyde on the back of the head in passing. "See you later!"

"Jane!" She heard Chase call out and lifted him up in a hug and kissed his cheek.

"I'll be back soon Chase, have fun with Mommy!" He scurried over to their mother and she went out the door. Once outside she leaned against the wall and could hear her parents speaking.

"She's too much like you, Jack." Sally Skellington said to her father. He sighed and Jane peeked inside the window to see him holding his skull while walking up the stairs. She shook her head and walked down the steps toward the gate to Skellington Mansion. Deciding not to dwell on it she made her way through town.

"Hey Scary-Skelli!" She heard the deep, ruff voice of Howl. He was nearly her height—which was quite tall—yet she knew he could crush her easily. He was a werewolf and when they were in the human world he towered over everyone.

"Hey Howl…Scarlet!" She called out to my friend ahead of them. Scarlet turned and smiled as she lifted her umbrella to see them. She was a vampire, and once they got to the Human World she would be immune to her allergy to the sun.

"I hate Mondays…" She grumbled in an annoyed tone as they passed the gates of the cemetery. The other Halloween students walked along side them as they all worked together to lift the stone that covered the graves, which was the portal from the Human World and our world.

Different tombs led to different areas in the Human World or—as the human's called it—Earth. Yet the only portal that remained open all year around and was not shut closed except on Halloween was the one leading to their school.

Jane sighed and looked around the pumpkin patch as she was the last one to make it through. Scarlet waited for her and they let most of their classmates walk ahead of them as they slowed our pace.

"Jane, are you alright?" Scarlet asked her softly, seeing that her thin friend was deep in thought.

"The Mayor came to my house this morning. My father wants me to be more involved in Halloween." Jane grumbled and Scarlet knitted her brows together in confusion.

"But that's good isn't it?"

"No." Jane hissed. "I'm being crowned queen this year, Scar. Next year I won't be able to even blink without the Mayor shoving plans down my throat. Once I'm crowned…I'm screwed."

Scarlet sighed. "It's not that bad, Jane. We've all grown up with Halloween constantly being our number one topic. None of us get so annoyed with it like you do." Jane shrugged at her friends words. "Maybe it's because you're running the entire thing? I mean, we all do our parts but your dad is the one making it all fit and work out. In a few years…"

"Yeah, yeah. That'll be me. I know, I know. It doesn't matter anyway. I'm not king until my dad makes me king and honestly…I hope he stays immortal."

Scarlet sighed and gave up trying to cheer up Jane. Yet the skeleton girl tuned in to what her fellow monsters were saying and heard that every conversation was largely based on Halloween. No, not just Halloween…but Halloween Town.

She knew they were excited, Halloween was soon approaching, but she knew the importance of keeping their true selves a secret. She made good use out of her long legs to walk ahead of the small group and turned to walk backwards and address them.

"Guys, please keep it quiet about what we do. My dad doesn't want us to risk it getting out. So just whisper about it, and no talking during school if you could be heard. So…yeah?"

They all nodded at her in unison with seriousness radiating off of them. She closed her eyes and rolled them as she turned back around. Their obedience is not what she wanted; it's their freedom of choice.

They reached the school and Jane walked to my class in silence. The bell rang on her way and she sat down at her desk. Her teacher gave a boring speech of the history of the humans which is vastly different than Halloween history. Sure, Halloween history did have its scandals but that doesn't make it much worse.

Afterward, she suffered two more classes before she collapsed in her seat beside Scarlett. She laughed and poked her rib. "You look dead."

"I _am_ dead." Jane growled bitterly.

"Come on, we have to do our peer editing thing." Scarlet then shoved her short story atop Jane's desk so as to avoid her face. Knowing that the future-Pumpkin-King loathed papers being shoved toward her, and she added. "I did mine about my uncles!"

"You _would_ do this assignment on them." Jane rolled her eyes and smiled at her friend who in turn shrugged.

"She asked for a short story for the holidays…I gave her one." Both girls laughed and Jane started to read the assignment. Then Scarlet broke her thoughts once she took one look at Jane's paper. "This is about your dad."

"Of course it's about my dad." Jane said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world to her. "It's one of the best in our town and I wanted to see how the Screamers would take it."

Scarlet didn't say anything else and continued to edit her friend's paper. Most of the hour the teacher—Ms. Ocala—sat at her desk or was on the phone. Yet when half an hour passed and most of the student's were done editing, she announced that she will be calling them up to read their essay aloud to the class.

These short stories were to be that month's class project. The only reason they were reading them aloud so early was for constructive criticism.

"Oh great." Scarlet lamented and Jane chuckled. Nothing was sillier than a vampire with stage fright.

The first to go up was a shy and timid boy who mumbled out his essay in a matter of seconds. Then, much to Scarlet's amusement, Jane was the next person to go.

"I'm Jane Skellington, and I only have the prologue so far." She glanced at her teacher who nearly nodded for her to continue. Jane cleared her throat and barely looked at her paper as she spoke the words she knew so well. "T'was a long time ago, longer now than it seems, in a place that perhaps you've seen in your dreams. For the story that you are able to be told began with the Holiday worlds of old. Now you've probably wondered where holidays come from. If you haven't I'd say it's time you begun! For the holidays are the result of much fuss and hard work for the worlds that create them for us. Well you see now, quite simply, that's all that they do! Making one, unique holiday especially for you. But once, a calamity ever so great…"

Jane paused for effect, knowing that her teacher was enjoyed the flow and rhythm of the prologue. "…Occurred when two holidays met by mistake…"

Then the door was propped open and every pair of eyes in the room shifted to the doorway. In place of the door was a young man with a dashing smile and a relaxed aura about him. Jane couldn't help but fiercely glare at the intruder and her teacher stood.

"I hope I'm not interrupting?" He asked in a warm, smooth voice. It was completely different compared to the gravely and harsh voices of the people of Halloween Town.

He wore normal pants and a dark blue sweater to shield him from the cold wind of autum. His hands were in his pockets and he seemed laid back. His hair was light brown and he was pale with a certain glow underneath his flesh. He had a caring, charming smile and eyes that were a deep blue like the sea during a storm.

"There you are!" Ms. Ocala stood up and welcomed him inside. "Excuse me Jane, but everyone we have a new student! Tell us your name and about yourself."

"First of all, I'm sorry for the intrusion." He nodded towards Jane and she crossed her arms for she still seemed wary to forgive him. He seemed almost amused that he caused her such anger…And that angered her more. "Name is Nick and I just moved here from Alaska." Jane glanced at Scarlet and looked back at him.

"Why don't you sit in the back over there?" Jane mentally cursed Ms. Ocala for sitting him right beside Scarlet, therefore behind and to the side of her. "Jane is that the end of your prologue or was there more?"

"No, no. That was it. Thanks." Jane walked away from the front of the room and back to her seat. She high-fived Scarlet and took out her notebook so she could doodle for the rest of the hour. They only had a few more minutes to fill up with one more short story.

"So what are you doing for Halloween?" Scarlet asked her friend and Jane stared at her with a dull scowl.

"What about you?" Jane asked and the vampire grinned her blood red lips.

"Your dad gave me a job, and he says I should get you to start working on your part." Jane rolled her now-existent eyes but didn't answer. She glanced at the new kid over her shoulder and had an idea. Grinning at Scarlet she turned and cleared her throat. "Hey, New Kid."

He looked up with a start and smiled crookedly at them. "Yeah?"

"What are you doing for Halloween?" Jane asked them after sharing a look with Scarlett. He looked confused and was thinking of exactly what he should say.

"I don't know…Watch some scary movies with friends…Maybe get some candy if I'm up to it?" He added more and more as he thought. Yet every activity he stated was said as a question rather than a suggestion. "Why?"

"Oh, no reason." Jane leaned over the desk towards Scarlet, clearly satisfied. "See? I want to do that! I want to be normal and not have 'duties'." Scarlet rolled her eyes and took Jane's notebook and pen. She started to scribble with a fast speed and a wicked grin. Jane leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms to wait for whatever surprise Scarlet was drawing up. The New Kid was looking at them still and Jane caught his gaze, lifted an eyebrow at him, and looked away from him without another glance.

When Scarlet finished and turned the notebook around Jane saw a stick figure representing herself. Jane made a mental note and smiled that five lines with a pencil with a circle on top can look so much like her. But the cloths were cloths that she knew she did not own. Scarlet smiled at her and Jane took the notebook from her hands.

"You can have your mom make it. She will make it look perfect! You can wear it for Halloween!" Jane looked at her but couldn't answer because the bell rang. Lunch was next and she walked with Scarlett to their table under the oak tree. Jane wasn't so hungry and Scarlett had to munch on her home-made meal of blood soaked goods.

"Jane!" She heard the voice and winced at it before she looked up and saw Jade.

"What do you want, Jade?" The Halloween princess grumbled and stole an apple from Howl. Jade slammed her black-sleeve-covered arms on the table and made a loud banging sound, her way of demanding attention.

"Does your daddy know about the Halloween party?" She asked with her smug little face curled into a sneer.

"What party?" Jane asked her.

"The school's having a huge party for Halloween." Explained the evil creation as she looked at her black nails. "Don't you know anything?"

"Why is that important to my dad at all?" Jane questioned sarcastically. The Halloween Midnight Bash was all the schools been talking about for over a month.

Jade rolled her eyes. "Isn't it obvious?" Jane waited for her to continue and she groaned. "Didn't you listen last week when Ocala said she wants all her classes to help Student Council decorate? Ocala wants everyone from her classes to be there. She even made it part of the grade."

"What?" Jane shrieked and stood. She turned to Scarlett and she stared back at her also in confusion.

"Whatever Skelly." And with that Jade walked away with her heels clicking after her.

"God I hate her." Jane growled and Howl got her attention.

"Don't knock it, she hates you too. It's in your blood." Jane let her head fall into her hands. Jade is the daughter of The Oogie Boogie Man. Well, as much of a daughter as there could be. Jade never actually met Oogie and she was created by Lock, Shock, and Barrel to replace him when Jack killed him. When Jane's dad ruined Christmas all those years ago, Oogie Boogey tried to kill Santa Clause. Her dad fought to save him and in the fight Oogie Boogey was destroyed. Jade and Jane are one year apart but that didn't stop them from having a feud that began from where their fathers left it.

She teased Jane as a kid (being well-trained by Oogie's Boys) and resented Jane's authority as the heir to Halloween Town. So, back to the present, as Jane glared at the black leather and green of her attire as she sat down at her own table, she thought of Ms. Ocala.

"We need to talk to Ocala. To tell her we can't make it. My dad will flip!" Jane stood and started off. Everyone at the table stood to followed her dutifully. She sighed and turned to them. "No, guys. I can do it myself. Just stay here." They all sat down and she continued walking.

This is why she didn't like being Queen. Everyone was willing to jump up to anything she said. She wasn't a god.

Jane walked down the hallways of her school before she stood outside Ms. Ocala's English class. She knocked on the door and Ms. Ocala called her inside. Jane opened the door and peered in before stepping into the class reluctantly.

"Aw, Miss. Skellington!" She smiled and took off her reading glasses. "What can I help you with?"

"Um…It's about the Halloween dance…" Jane started unsurely. Her smile faded and she looked at the thin girl worriedly. "Well, Scarlet and I…and a few others from your other classes, we can't make it to the dance."

"Why not?" She asked and Jane flushed for she didn't plan on what exactly she would say to her teacher.

"Well…uh…" She scratched her scalp and stuttered horribly. "My family owns property…up north!" Jane came up with a lie that may or may not work, depending on how she presented it, and she was failing at that. "And—And my family is big on the holidays. S—So they invite their work and neighborhood friends to a party that they hold up in our home in the woods up north."

"Why can't they have it here?" She asked blandly. Jane shifted.

"It's tradition!" She insisted. "All the invitations are out. My mom's staying up there now getting everything ready." Ms. Ocala nodded and started to write something on the papers on her desk.

"I see…" She replied and the silence floated around before I bit my lip and asked her a question.

"So… If we can't go will it affect our grades?" Jane asked her and the plump woman looked at her over her reading glasses. Jane felt warmth cover her as she dreaded the idea of their grade dropping. If their grades got any worse they would not be allowed to attend Human schools and would have to attend Halloween schools.

"I will think about it." Jane felt her nervousness rise more at that. "You can go now if that is all you want to speak about." With that Jane unsurely made her way to the door.

"Thank you anyway, Ms. Ocala." She said politely before she left and went right back to her table of friends.

"I don't know." Jane stated as she collapsed into her seat beside Scarlet. "She said she will think about it. So we might have a serious problem." Everyone seemed worried and Jane didn't know what to tell them. As their 'leader' was she supposed to offer comfort?

Her father was very skilled at persuading the town's people into any emotion he needed them to be in. Yet instead of learning from this, Jane instead focused on how Halloween Town seemed to be made up of mindless drones. Yes, they had their own personalities and worries and did as they pleased as any other civilization would. But what bothered Jane was the fact that one word from her father—and as she is rapidly grasping, herself—would alter their thoughts and decisions.

In her history classes she had learned that many rulers would probably envy the obedience found in Halloween Town. And she was glad that her home was well in order, but she wished that everyone had more free will when it came to occupation.

You were what you were born as, she often noticed. Scarlet was born and raised by the four vampire brothers, and so she was a vampire. Howl was a werewolf, and had no stay in his position in Halloween Town. Jane herself was born a skeleton, and was destined to be a Skellington.

And Skellington's were doomed to be the Kings of Halloween.


End file.
